Sewing-machine hemmer.



W. R. PARSONS.

, SEWING MACHINE HEMMER.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1901. I

Patented May 18, 1909.

1n: NORRIS PETE 0., WASHINGTON, a. c.

UNITED STATS FATENT OFFICES.

WINSLOW R. PARSONS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHICAGO TITLE &TRUST COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SEWING-MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 10, 1901.

latented May 18, 1909.

Serial No. 74 905.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WmsLow R. PAnsoNs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-dachineI-Iemmers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

My invention relates to that class of hemmers designed to be secured tothe presser foot bar of the sewing machine, and it has for its primaryobject to make the hemmer and its shank integral with the presser footfrom a single blank because it is not only very diflicult to securethese parts together with accuracy when made separately, but thussecuring them entails a very material additional expense in the cost ofmanufaeture.

A subsidiary object of my invention is to reduce the friction of thecloth against the scroll to a minimum.

In making these parts integral, however, serious difficulties areencountered. The foot and shank require to be of heavy stock while thescroll and its cloth support should be thin so that they may lie closeto the bed of the sewing machine and not elevate the fabric to an extentcausing it to pucker or wrinkle where it turns upwardly and em bracesthe tongue or cloth support of the hammer. Yet to be commerciallysuccessful the blank from which the device is made must be of uniformthickness. This extra thickness of the metal, however, makes the scrollunusually high or thick when sufficient space is allowed between thefolds of the scroll and the tongue for the passage of the cloth, and, asa consequence, the tongue or cloth support is elevated a materialdistance above the plane which is occupied by the tongue of the ordinaryhemmer composed of thin stock. To meet these difficulties and secure theadvantages of the single piece hemmer and foot necessitates changes inthe l mer 1s formed is a flat strlp or sheet of mateform of the scrollwhereby the extra eleva tion of the cloth will not cause it to wrinkleor pucker where it passes upward and around the tongue. That changeconsists in the main in giving the left hand edge of the scroll the formof a screw or spiral gradually inclining from the right hand side at apoint above the tongue and continuing to the left hand side, and thenceunder the top fold of the scroll in a diagonal direction toward theright, always tending toward the needle hole in a quick uninterruptedspiral to and across a straight line passing through the longitudinalaxis of the scroll and through the needle hole, whereby the friction onthe raw edge of the fabric will be reduced to the minimum.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts bywhich the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearingare attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In illustrating the invention, I have shown it embodied in two widelydifferent sizes of hemmers, and as will hereinafter appear, theintermediate sizes will differ from these only in the relativeproportions of the parts, as will also those sizes greater than themaximum and less than the minimum herein shown.

In the said drawings Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of the blank formaking the minimum size hemmer illustrated herein; Fig. 2 is a bottomplan View of the complete hemmer, showing a portion of the hem enteringit Fig. 3 is an end or mouth view thereof; Fig. 4 is a side elevationthereof, looking from the right, in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view similar toFig. 1, illustrating the blank for making the maximum. size of hemmerherein described; Fig. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the completehemmer made therefrom; Fig. 7 is an end or mouth view thereof; Fig. 8 isa side elevation thereof, looking from. the right in Fig. 9; Fig. 9 is atop perspective view; Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic end view of the smallersize of hemmer, illustrated in Fig. 3, showing the goods by dotted line,and also illustrating the position of the needle; and Fig. 1.1 is asimilar view of the larger size of hemmer.

The blank from which my improved hemrial, preferably malleable steel,formed with a stock or body portion, the whole of which may be indicatedby the single reference letter A, and with a scroll portion, which maybe generally indicated by the reference letter B. As the blank isformed, it may be provided near one end of the stock A with alongitudinal slot 1, and on each side near the inner end of said slot,with a concave cut-out 2. At the point where the body or stock A adjoinsthe scroll member B, the blank is provided on one side with a transversecut 3, which extends inwardly to a point substantially in line with hole4, formed in the stock for the passage of the needle 5, and with a slot1, and diametrically opposite this in-cut 3 on the other side is formeda recess 6.

The stock or body portion A is bent transversely along dotted line 7, soas to form the upper horizontal end or foot shank 8, and it is againbent transversely on dotted line 9 at the opposite ends of the concavecut-outs 2, to form downwardly extending inclined portion 10, and alsohorizontal foot portion 11, through which the needle passes and whichrests flat upon the machine feed, as usual. From a point adjacent to thehole 4 it is turned upwardly on a slight incline, on transverse line 12,so as to accommodate itself to the position of the scroll member B.

The scroll member comprises a tongue portion 13, which is divided fromthe main part of the scroll by an approximately V- shaped or taperingin-cut 14, forming a rounded shoulder 15 on the right hand side of thetongue, when viewed as in Figs. 1 and 5 and (see Fig. 6) opposing curvededges let and 149, the left hand side being straight and extending at aslight angle with reference to the side of the stock or, more accuratelyspeaking, to the line of movement of the goods. This tongue 13 is curledupwardly and inwardly from left to right, as viewed in the figures justreferred to, along dotted line 16, the straight edge of the tongue beingarranged substantially parallel with the line of movement of the goods,so as to form means for turning the raw edge under. After this has beendone the outer end of tongue 13 is bent downwardly, considering thedevice upside down, or upwardly, considering the device rightside up, asshown in dotted lines at 17, Fig. 4, for the purpose which will behereinafter described, and a finger portion 18 also comprised by scrollmember B, is then bent upwardly and over the tongue 13 from right toleft, as viewed upside down, in Fig. 1, and so as to projecttransversely under and at a considerable distance below the elevated endof tongue 13 when the device is right side up, this curling of thefinger 18 being started along dotted line 19, which extends from theinner end of recess 6 in a direction substantially lengthwise of theline of movement of the goods, the extremity of the finger 18 beingcarried laterally a considerable distance, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, toconstitute a convenient guide for inserting the edge of the goods in thehemmer.

In the use of the device thus described the raw edge of the goods isinserted in the hemmer over the guide finger 18 from left to right, asviewed in Fig. 3, and carried upwardly over and thence under the tongue13, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 10. One side of the tongue 13being provided with the rounded shoulder 15, as before described, whichin the completed hemmer projects toward the finger portion 18 of thescroll, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, constitutes the cloth support forholding the fold or bend of the goods over close to that portion of thescroll and holding the upper fold of the cloth aloof from the raw edgeand permitting the raw edge to pass under the shoulder 15 and thencethrough the \l-shaped cut-outle, and over that portion of the scrollwhich lies be tween the inner end of cut-out 1 1 and transverse cut 3,the inner end or neck of the tongue 13 being bent downwardly at 17, asbefore described, for this purpose.

In Fig. 2 of the drawing a part of the goods is shown in full lines withthe raw edge turned under to form a hem and arranged in the positionwhich it enters the hemmer, both the hemmer and the goods, however,being shown upside down for the sake of clearer illustration, and thepassage of the raw edge of the goods through the hemmer being in dicatedby the line 20 and from this it will be observed that in the upside downposition the raw edge passes under the outer end of the tongue, andthence over that portion of the scroll lying between the inner narrowneck of the tongue and the cut-out 3, the main body of the goods, ofcourse, passing over the latter part of the scroll or between such partand the guide finger 18, as clearly indicated in Fig. 10.

The difference betweens the form of the invention thus described and thelarger form shown in Figs. 5 to 11 (10 excluded), are incidental to theincrease in size and are largely mere differences of proportion. This isstrictly true with reference to the blank with the exception that in thelarger blank the recess 6 is omitted, because in the larger sizes it isnot necessary to fold the finger 18 inwardly so far toward thelongitudinal axis of the device, as it is with the smaller size. Informing a hemmer of the size shown in Fig. 5, the tongue 13 is turnedinwardly from left to right, as viewed in said figure, on the line 16,so that the straight edge of the tongue will be in a line substantiallyparallel with the line of movement of the goods, and like the straightedge of the tongue of the smaller size, will serve to hold the turn orfold of the goods into close proximity to that part of the scroll orfinger 18 which is lapped around said straight edge. After the tongue 13has beenthus folded inwardly on a grad ual or rounded bend, as bettershown at 21, Figs. 7 and 11, the narrow neck of the tongue or part whereit adjoins the main scroll member, is bent downwardly on line 22, sothat when the hemmer is right side up the main part of the tongue willbe elevated considerably above its rounded neck portion 21, and will bein a plane approximately half way between the top fold of the scroll andsaid rounded neck portion, so that the raw edge of the goods may passunder the rounded shoulder of the tongue and thence over the roundedneck 21, substantially the same as already described with reference tothe smaller size, the bend of the rounded. neck portion 21 correspondingin function and purpose to the inclined bend 17, shown in Fig. 4.

It will thus be seen that in both forms of my invention the left handedge of the scroll is formed on a quick uninterrupted spiral Y whichextends from the right hand side toward the left and inwardly toward theneedle hole, and thence toward the right under the top fold of thescroll and into the tongue 13, which inward turn of the spiral beingproduced. by the sharp ineut 14, and this inner end of the spiralextends in an oblique direction toward the needle hole and across astraight line passing through the needle hole and the longitudinal axisof the scroll, the spiral being continuous from the outer end of the topfold of the scroll to the inner end of the incut 14, and always tendingin an inward direction or toward the needle hole, will afford agradually curving and smooth edge for the goods to slide against. Itwill also be seen that by making the outer end of the tongue 13 flat andin a higher plane than the curled portion of the neck of metal betweenthe lines 16 and 22, in the form shown in Fig. 5, and between the line16 and the outer edge of the incut 3, in the form shown in 1, I amenabled to elevate the top fold of the cloth above the raw edge, asshown in Fig. 11, without producing any sharp edges for the cloth todrag over, or adding separate pieces to the tongue, it being obviousthat the broad flat surface of the outer edge of the tongue 13 producesless friction on the cloth when the latter is vided with upper and lowerfolds, a cloth supporting tongue embraced between said upper and lowerfolds and formed 011 a continuation of the upper fold, the forward outerend of said tongue being straight on the right hand side and extendinglongitudinally of the hemmer, and the left hand side being graduallycurved from the forward end of said straight edge inwardly toward theleft and thence under the upper fold of the scroll back toward the rightin an oblique direction.

2. A sewing machine hemmer comprising a body portion, a scroll portionhaving upper and lower folds, a cloth supporting tongue embraced betweensaid folds and formed on a continuation of the upper fold, said tongueextending longitudinally of the hemmer and the left hand side thereofbeing gradually curved from the right hand side at the forward outer endinwardly, and toward the left and thence under the upper fold and thescroll, back toward the right in an oblique direction.

3. A sewing machine hemmer comprising a body portion having a needlepassage, a scroll portion provided with upper and lower folds, a clothsupporting tongue embraced between said folds and formed on acontinuation of said upper fold, said tongue extending longitudinally ofthe hemmer and the left hand side thereof being curved from the forwardouter end of the right hand side inwardly and toward the left and thenceback toward the right in an oblique direction approaching the needlepassage.

4. A sewing machine hemmer having a body portion, a needle hole therein,a scroll portion comprising upper and lower folds, a cloth supportingtongue portion embraced between said folds, said body portion beingprovided with opposing curved edges extending in an oblique directionapproaching the needle hole and forming a continuous spiral guideway forthe cloth from the outer end of the top fold of the scroll to itsjuncture with the tongue, whereby a gradual curving smooth edge isprovided for the cloth to slide against as it passes through the hemmer,substantially as described.

5. A sewing machine hemmer having a body portion, a needle hole therein,a folded scroll portion comprising upper and lower folds, an elevatedcloth supporting tongue between said folds, said tongue and bodyportions being provided with opposing curved edges extending in anoblique direction approaching the needle hole and forming a continuousspiral guide-way for the cloth from the outer end of the top fold of thescroll to its juncture with the tongue, whereby the fold of the cloth iselevated above its raw edge and a gradual creasing smooth edge is formedfor the cloth to slide against in its passage through the hemmer.

6. A new and useful article of manufacture, comprising in combination, ahemmer and a presser-foot of uniform thickness throughout, and bent froma single piece of sheet metal, substantially as described.

WINSLOWV R. PARSONS. l/Vitnesses F. A. HOPKINS, W. D. Onoss.

